Sewing machine



July 20, 1937. w. A. BARKER SEWING MACHINE Filed May 27, i936 #cfKU Patented July 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT v OFFICE SEWING MACHINE Application May 2'7, 1936, Serial No. 82,036 In Great Britain July 6, 1935 5 Claims.

This invention relates to sewing-machines and is particularly, but by no means exclusively, concerned with inseam sewing machines for use in sewing together the welt, upper and insole of a 5 welt shoe or the upper and sole of a turn-shoe. For the sake of brevity, the term shoe is used herein as including both boots and shoes.

In the patent to Ricks No. 1,999,302 dated April 30, 1935, there is disclosed, in combination with a 1() thread finger occupying an unusually elevated position out of contact with the work, a looper, and means for causing the looper, after it has laid the thread in the needle barb, to rise to an un-' usually elevated position (where it cooperates with the thread finger preparatory to the next needle-looping operation) so that both the looper and thread finger may, as the work is fed through the machine, occupy positions spaced sufiiciently well above the work to avoid any tendency for the for example when working around the toe ends of'shoes, by striking or abutting againstupstanding parts of it. The present invention aims, in general, at providing a simpler and more robust arrangement for so moving the looper than is disclosed in the said patent.

In a particular illustrative embodiment of the present invention hereinafter described, the looper is mounted for rocking movement across the plane of the needle and widthwise of the machine about an inclined stem extending parallel to the plane of the needle and forwardly and rearwardly of the machine, and is mounted to move bodily forwardly and rearwardly of the machine, simultaneously with its widthwise rocking movement, to produce the necessary orbital movement for the looping of the needle by sliding movement along the inclined stem effected by a reciprocating slide to which the looper is cone 4,0 nected, In order to cause the looper to rise to its elevated position, after the looping of the needle, the looper is mounted for rising and falling movement in a carrier slidingly mounted on the inclined stem, and is connected to a looper-lifting cam arranged, as the reciprocating slide moves rearwardly after the looper has laid the thread in the needle barb, to be rocked in I such a manner as to cause the looper to rise in its carrier to the desired elevated position as it approaches the rearward limit of its movement so that it will be lifted bodily a substantial amount until it is well removed above the upper face of the work.

The various objects and the several features of the present invention (which latter are set forth said members to impede the feeding of the latter,

in the appended claims) will become more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawing, of the illustrative embodiment aforementioned.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a left hand side elevation showing a portion of the head of an inseam sewing machine in which the illustrative embodiment is in-' corporated;

Figure 2 is a front elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow seen in Figure 1, of parts shown in that figure;

Figure 3 is a plan view of certain parts seen in Figure 1 looking at right angles to the arrow seen in that figure; and

Figure 4 is a section on the line IVIV of Figure 2. g The said embodiment will be assumed to be embodied in'a machine which, in certain respects is similar to that disclosed in the patent to Eppler No. 1,108,560 dated August 25, 1914. The machine includes a curved hooked needle I operated by mechanism generally similar to that described in Patent No. 1,108,560, a looper 3 for laying thread in the needle barb and a thread-finger 5, occupying an unusually elevated position in the machine, which acts substantially in the manner disclosed in Patent No. 1,999,302 to engage the thread extending between the work and the looper and to assist the looper to lay the thread in the barb of the needle. The looper of the present illustrative embodiment has a shank which is adjustably secured in' a socket formed in the lower end of a rod 1 arranged, in the manner hereinafter described, to slide axially along a tubular guide provided in a looper carrier 9. The carrier 9 is pivoted between itsendson a fixed stem ll secured at its rear end in the machine head which stem extends forwardly and rearwardly of the machine and extendsupwardly to its rear end in a position inclined to the plane in which the seam is sewed. At its upper end the carrier 9 has. a socket formed in it in which is received, with freedom for any necessary rotary or sliding movement therein, a stud l3 having a head providing a bore which extends forwardly and rearwardly of the machine and lies parallel to the stem I I. Through this bore extends a pin l5 projecting, parallel to the stem I I, forwardly from the upper end of a rocking looper-actuating arm H, which is mounted to rock about the axis of a shaft 19 extending upwardly and rearwardly parallel to the stem l I at anappropriate period in the machine cycle by engagement of a cam roll on a depending arm 2| on the rear end of the shaft with a cam on the main shaft 23 of the machine.

For imparting axial movement along the stem H to the looper carrier 9 to cause the thread guiding eye at the lower end of the looper to move in an orbital path, as it is rocked Widthwise of the machine about the stem, for the looping of the needle, the machine is provided with a cam-actuated slide 25 which extends forwardly and rearwardly of the machine parallel to the stem I I. The rear end of this slide carries a cam roll 21 which engages a cam on the main shaft of the machine and the slide is reciprocated in time relation to the rocking movements of the looper carrier 9 to cause the thread guiding eye at the lower end of the looper to move in the desired path for laying the thread in the needle barb in a manner which will be well understood. At its forward end, this slide has the rear end of a bracket 29 rigidly secured to it, which bracket lies parallel with and close by the left hand side of the stem ll on which the looper carrier is supported. The forward end of this bracket is formed as a short sleeve Si mounted for sliding movement along the said stern and being embraced closely at its forward and rearward faces by a forked portion 33 of the carrier 9 so that the bracket 29 serves to transmit to the carrier reciprocating movements along the stern H as the slide 25 moves backwards and forwards.

In order to cause the looper to rise to the desired unusually elevated position as it moves rearwardly and to cause it to descend at a sufiiciently early stage in its forward movement to ensure that thethread passing through its eye will be carried below the barb of the needle and thus ensure the laying of the thread on the needle barb, the rod 'l which carries the looper is arranged, as the looper carrier 9 moves to and fro, to be given rising and falling movements rom and towards the planeof the seam being sewed along the tubular guide in the carrier. For this purpose, the carrier 9 has pivoted on it at 33, a cam member 35, lying in a plane extending forwardly and rearwardly of the machine, to which is coupled by a ball joint below its pivot the forward end of a link 31 which is coupled at its rear end, also by a ball joint, to a bracket 39 secured on the machine frame. The cam member 35 has formed along its lower portion a cam groove H in which engages a cam roll 43 mounted on a pin secured in the rod I. The cam groove 4! is, for the greater part of its length, formed concentrically about the pivot for the cam member, the center line of this part of the cam groove being spaced from the pivot a distance substantially equal to three times the distance that the connection between the link 31 and the cam member is spaced from the pivot. Near its rear end the cam groove 4! is stepped upwardly towards the pivot of the cam member some three sixteenths of an inch and, when the machine is at rest, the cam roll 43 rests within cause the carrier to move forwardly in a downwardly inclined path along the stem H. As the carrier commences so to move, the pivot 34 between it and the cam member 35 moves with it,

but the cam member, as a unit, is prevented from moving bodily with the carrier since it is pivoted to the link 3's which is held fast at its rear end. This fact causes the cam member to swing rearwardly about its pivot 34 as the carrier advances and owing to the cam groove ll being offset from I the pivot 34 three times as far as the connection between the cam member and the link 31 except for the upwardly stepped portion at its rear end, the cam groove will commence to swing rearwardly about the pivot 34, as the carrier commences to advance, at a speed considerably higher than that at which the carrier advances. This brings about the result that, but very shortly after the advancing movement of the carrier begins, the upwardly stepped portion of the cam groove 4! will pass away from beneath the cam roll 43 and will move the cam roll downwardly to enter that portion of the cam groove which is concentric about the pivot 34. 1

Therefore, almost as soon as the looper starts to advance it will be given a bodily downward movement, which takes place almost instantaneously, of about three sixteenths of anv inch to bring its thread guiding eye into a sufiiciently lowered position and at a sufficiently early stage to allow the thread to pass beneath the needle barb. Having completed its bodily downward movement, the looper thereafter, as it moves forwardly, advances along a path which, except for the lateral movements of the looper, lies parallel to the stem H. The path of movement of the looper, as it dips in the manner described and thereafter continues its advance is indicated at X in Figure l. Conversely when, after the looping of the needle, the slide 25 moves rearwardly to retract the looper .to a position ready to cooperate with the thread finger in the next needle looping operation, the looper, as it approaches its most rearward position, is given a relatively rapid bodily lift of about three sixteenths of an inch until permit of the rising and falling movement of the rod in the carrier. The looper Will be moved to the unusually elevated position aforementioned, ready to cooperate with the thread finger for the laying of the thread in the needle barb for the next succeeding stitch soon afterlthe needle withdraws to pull through the work the loop of thread laid in its barb by the looper and remains in this position, well clear of the work, during the feeding of the work, after which it is moved bodily downwards and forwards again to lay the thread in the barb of the needle whenthe latter has again pierced the work. Such an arrangement as above described provides means which controls the heightwisemovements of the looper in a manner generally similar to that disclosed in Patent No. 1,999,302, but which does so without the need for any separately actuated mechanism, such as that represented by the members 9, I l

and I 5 in said patent, for lifting the looper bodily relatively toits supporting arm. As will be readily understood, the looper actuating and controlling means of the illustrative embodiment above described is relatively simple and robust and is of such a nature as not to cause excessive wear to develop rapidly between the parts or to give rise to trouble due to breakage of the parts since, the latter being relatively few and operating in a simple manner, they can easily be made of relatively generous dimensions.

Conveniently the forward end of the stem Il may house an electric cartridge so that the stem serves to conduct heat tothe looper to maintain it at such a temperature that it will not chill the wax on waxed thread such as machines of the kind in contemplation usually make use of.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and a machine embodying the features of the invention having been specifically described, what is claimed is:

1. An inseam shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle, a looper, and a thread finger arranged to move in an elevated path at a dis-- tance from the work and from the needle barb while the needle is through the work, and means for actuating the looper to carry the thread into the path of movement of the thread finger and around the needle comprising a cam actuated slide, a looper carrier, a stationary guide for the carrier, extending parallel tothe plane of the needle and inclined to the plane in which the seam is sewed, and connections between the slide and the looper carrier for reciprocating the carrier on said guide.

2. An inseam shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle, a looper, and a thread finger arranged to move in an elevated path at a distance from the work and from the needle barbwhile the needle is through the work, and means for actuating the looper to carry the thread into the path of movement of the thread finger and around the needle comprising a cam actuated slide, a looper carrier, a stationary guiding stem for the carrier extending parallel to the plane of the needle and inclined to the plane in which the seam is sewed, means for rocking the looper carrier on said stem to move the looper across the plane of the needle, and connections between the slide and the looper carrier for reciprocating the carrier on said stem.

3. An inseam shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle, a looper, and a thread finger:

arranged to move in an elevated path at a distance from the work and from the needle barb while the needle is through the work, and means for actuating the looper to carry the thread into the path of movement of the thread finger and around the needle comprising a cam actuated slide, a looper carrier on which the looper is mounted to move towards and from the plane in which the seam is sewed, a stationary guide for the carrier extending parallel to the plane of the needle, and connections between the slide, the

looper, and the looper carrier for reciprocating the carrier on said guide and for imparting rising and falling movements to the looper on the carrier from and towards the plane in which the seam is sewed. V

4. An inseam shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle, a looper, and a thread finger arranged to move in an elevated path at a distance from the work and from the needle barb while the needle is through the work, and means 7 for actuating the looper to carry the thread into the path of movement of the thread finger and around the needle comprising a cam actuated slide, a looper carrier on which the looper is mounted to move towards andfrom the plane in which the seam is sewed, a stationary guide for thecarrier extending parallel to the plane of the needle, a cam mounted on the looper carrier and acting when actuated to move the looper with relation to the carrier towards and from the plane in which the seam is sewed, and connections between the slide, the looper carrier and the cam for reciprocating the carrier on said guide and actuating the cam.

5. An inseam shoe sewing machine having, in combination, stitch forming devices including'a curved hook needle, a looper, and a thread finger arranged to move in an elevated path at a distance from the work and from the needle barb while the needle is through the work, and means for actuating the looper to carry the thread into the path of movement of the thread finger and around the needle comprising a cam actuated slide, a looper carrier on which the looper is mounted to move towards and from the plane in which the seam is sewed, a stationary guide for the carrier extending parallel to the plane of the needle, a cam for moving the looper with relation to the carrier pivotally mounted on the carrier, a link having one end fixed and the other end pivoted on the cam, and connections between the cam actuated slide and the looper carrier for reciprocating the carrier on said guide. 7

WILLIAM ARTHUR BARKER. 

